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VVC2 was a wirlwind of a feel good vegan social media weekend, and even in the middle of the storm, I found a few things that I absolutely cannot live without ever again, if I had a choice in the matter.

From top left:

Wayfare Maple Ice Cream: Made from oats, this creamy and smooth non-dairy ice cream is now the benchmark for all other vegan ice cream brands and flavors. While I love me some So Delicious and Coconut Bliss, this oat-based dreamy creamy pint is my new jam.

Tofurky BBQ Chicken Hot Pockets: Growing up vegetarian, I never indulged in hot pockets as a kid, but as an adult, this hot, sweet and tangy with tofu in a convenient pocket of bread is sure to be a delightful occasional indulgence when I’m back in the States. I ate several of these throughout the VVC weekend.

Tatly Vegan Temporary Tattoos: This company donated veggie-themed temporary tattoos the the VIP ticket-holders of the Galarama. I seem to have ended up with one in the aftermath of VVC, so I stuck the booklet in my backpack with me to take on my travels. I love the idea of temporary tattoos that are vegan, and though of course the vegetables are my fave, all their other themed books are adorable and fun.

Myoko Schinner’s Vegan Cheese Platter: Seriously. Artisan vegan cheese is taking over the country, and Miyoko’s ground-breaking book Artisan Vegan Cheese seems to be leading the pack. She put together a GORGEOUS plate of her cheese for the Galarama, and I found myself eating as many crackers loaded with cheese as I could.

VVC on Stage: I just love working with Jess and Michele so much, and love getting to be in a whole building/city filled with like-minded vegan bloggers, authors and social media users. The people involved are always my absolute all-time fave thing from the conferences!

So…our first location-scouting trip to Chicago was in the dead of winter. Why? This was when we could all take time off work and hotels and airfare were crazy cheap. Because who wants to go to Chicago in the dead of winter?! Falling-ice warnings around skyscrapers, slush puddles, doing the cold dance while waiting for the L—all right, I’ll admit the cold dance is pretty entertaining. (NOTE: Don’t worry; when we do hold an event in Chicago, it will not be in January or February.)

Ah, but in this frigid, frigid land there was an oasis: the biggest Whole Foods we’d ever seen. Ladies, grab your cameras!

We spent close to two hours photographing Upton’s Naturals grab-n-go sandwiches and Chicago Diner cookies, sipping bubbly at one of two wine bars, choosing snacks for our flight home, and downing vegan Chicago-style hot dogs and soy milkshakes. Because that’s precisely what three bloggers do when they check out a new grocery store. While we know how ridiculous it must look to normal people, we simply can’t help ourselves. How else are we going to tell the Internet all about it?

UPDATE: The 2013 Feed is live! If you’re attending and haven’t added your blog yet, please leave a comment when you do so we can update the feed ASAP. We will be removing signup on Sunday, May 19 so we can focus on the busy week ahead.

Update: Signup is complete! Thanks for all who signed up – see you at the con and in the future!

With the end of Google Reader (and all the associated gasping and groaning that came with the news), comes the quick rise of Feedly, the official replacement for all your up-to-date blog reading. And with Vida Vegan Con II rapidly approaching, it’s time for even more to peruse.

So, we’re putting together a list of all Vida Vegan Con II blog feeds for ya—one big feed of excitement and plant-based creativity!

The 2013 VVC II Blogfeed.

Simply fill out this form with your URL feed information, and we’ll debut the list shortly. Stay tuned!

See you..next month!?!?! Artwork by J. Legume

We do ask that only registered attendees sign up (this is also open to sponsors and speaker blogs, of course), that all blogs are vegan in content, and that you’re comfortable seeing your website on a public feed.This won’t be a blogroll or contact list, it’ll simply be a feed of your latest posts to share.

Like this:

Whilst scouring the Internet for tech tips to share with y’all, we found so many great resources that we just felt we should highlight some. In the event you have NO questions at all and are perfectly happy with your blog, chances are you’ll still find some good ideas and be inspired to step it up.

For Bloggers By Bloggers published a list of blogging mistakes that make you look a bit the amateur, like leaving that meta widget in or not having share buttons.

Super intimidated by WordPress.org so you’re sticking with the limitations of WordPress.com? (Hey, that’s us!) WP Beginner is a fantastic resource for everything from themes to plug-ins. Tons of tutorials and current deals/coupon codes for savings on hosting and themes and such.

Daily Blogging Tips put together a list of 20 SEO terms you should know. (Pssst, that’s Search Engine Optimization, by the way.) If you’re blogging for the love of the feel of the keys, then never you mind this one, but if you’re at all interested in making sure others read that stuff you type, check it out.

Got Blogger questions? Spice Up Your Blog has a section just for you. They cover WordPress and general blog tips as well, you know, including a bunch of CSS info.

If you’re ready for a more professional-looking Twitter background, Bloggermint will point you in the right direction, whether you’re working with Adobe Illustrator or even PowerPoint. They’ve rounded up tutorials (including videos) and design basics.